Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Side Story, Song of Ice and Fire (5)
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9.
Intelligence Auxiliary AI.
Caduel Online.
Outputting information on the draft 'Production Manual' for the requested [CODE: 259].
Bio-weapon - CODE: 259
1. [CODE: 259] can produce up to 6 auxiliary units.
2. The recommended number is 5, but production of the 6th unit is permitted if the following threats are detected.
10.
"Shiak, you know what?"
"Shiak?"
"Pocket monsters gotta have a finisher move, right?"
<Association> headquarters, personal quarters.
Shin Tae-yeop cleared his throat dramatically to give weight to what he was about to say.
"ShiShiraaa?"
"What? Why? Why don't you wanna train?"
"ShiShishishishishi."
"You want me to sort out whatever's bugging me first?"
Shin Tae-yeop let out a sigh. Whatever's bugging him?
Do Ye-jin... I wonder if she's okay right now?
She acts all tough mentally, but she's actually super fragile deep down.
- That's not what I meant when I said that...
What did I even say back then?
The moment the memory surfaced, Shin Tae-yeop shook his head wildly.
"No, forget it! That was totally justified anger. Because of that guy back then... Aagh!"
He ended up screaming.
It was because Shiak, perched on his shoulder, had bitten his cheek.
"Hey! Why'd you bite me!"
He jumped up and yelled,
but Shiak just stared back at him with resolute eyes.
"Ugh... whatever! If you don't wanna train, then don't. Fine by me. I'm tired anyway, so I'm going to bed!"
Shin Tae-yeop forced a grin and flopped back onto the bed.
But... he let out another sigh.
He knew it. Who was more at fault... But still...
11.
"Come on, just a little more! We're almost there."
The artisans in the <Workshop> had been working nonstop lately.
Average work hours: 14 hours.
Yet the workshop head, Seo Hwa-yoon, was even busier than them. Because...
"Project Gundam is almost complete!"
When Shin Tae-yeop visited,
Seo Hwa-yoon was directing the entire <Workshop> with her signature leadership.
She was always the most dedicated one.
"...Huh?"
He was quietly watching, lost in thought, when their eyes met.
"Tae-yeop?!"
Seo Hwa-yoon beamed and ran over like always... then hesitated for a moment.
Maybe she was thinking about last time.
Instead of hugging him, she knelt to his eye level and gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Tae-yeop. Sis went too far with the teasing last time, huh?"
"No, it's fine. I... overreacted back then."
"You forgive Sis?"
Shin Tae-yeop managed an awkward smile.
"You forgive me too, right?"
Seo Hwa-yoon looked like she might burst into tears as she moved to pull him into a hug...
"...Shirak!"
But she froze when Shiak, cradled in Shin Tae-yeop's arms, barked.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Shiak, say hi. This is Hwa-yoon sis."
"Shishishishishi!"
Seo Hwa-yoon's eyes began to sparkle with curiosity.
"Oh my god... This came from subordinate gear? Amazing, so amazing! It's treated as equipment, not a heteromorph? It doesn't vanish into Paradise mist."
"Guess so. Uh... did I tell you it came from there?"
Seo Hwa-yoon flinched for a second, then laughed it off and patted his back.
"You think this sis isn't smart? I knew at a glance."
"Shirak!"
"Yeah... Sis is super smart, after all."
Seo Hwa-yoon glanced around and whispered softly.
"Tae-yeop, but... did something happen with Ye-jin?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Well... you know she's training [Subordinate Transformation]?"
He knew that well.
The training site was an abandoned Red Cross hospital on the outskirts of Gyonam-dong.
"Her [Subordinate Transformation] control time... it's heavily affected by her mental state. But she can't even last 3 minutes."
"............?"
"She said she met you right before yesterday's training. So I wondered if something happened."
Seo Hwa-yoon spoke gravely, then chuckled.
"If nothing happened, just say so."
"Sis, it's just..."
He found himself speaking before he knew it.
But he couldn't figure out how to explain it.
"Sis, you've dated a lot, right?"
"Of course! Look at this face and figure. Back in my day, I had guys lined up four ranks deep around the training field twice over."
Somehow, it sounded like she really had them bawling. In a different sense.
"You're into that too, huh, Tae-yeop?"
"Uh... actually, I went to all-boys middle and high school."
"For real? You don't seem like it. You give off total Casanova vibes."
Who knows why.
Maybe from those unrememberable memories, he'd dealt with plenty of older women.
"This is about my friend, okay? Real friend. He says handling older women isn't hard."
"Those types exist."
"Shishishi."
"You shut it. But... he says he has no clue how to handle peers or younger girls."
"Shishi..."
Shin Tae-yeop lightly bopped Shiak's head, then explained the situation.
Positioning himself as Friend A.
Do Ye-jin as Friend B.
A moment later, Seo Hwa-yoon stroked her chin thoughtfully and said outright,
"Wouldn't Friend A apologizing first be best?"
"A? Friend A first? Why?"
"Yeah. Why are you so immersed in Friend A?"
"Tch, 'cause they're close friends!"
Seo Hwa-yoon nodded in agreement.
"This isn't about who was right or wrong—it's a pride battle."
"...Pride battle?"
"Relationships blow up over tiny things a lot, and most of it's pride clashes."
It could be.
"But... we're not dating, right?"
"Us? Isn't this about your friend?"
"Friends A and B! We're all friends. Haha!"
Shin Tae-yeop laughed loudly on purpose,
and Shiak shook its head in disbelief.
"Anyway, know what's most important in relationships for that reason?"
What? Looks? Height? Smooth talk?
When he couldn't answer, Seo Hwa-yoon smiled brightly and ruffled his hair.
"The courage to approach first."
For the first confession.
For making up after a fight.
"Apologizing first isn't bending your pride."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. It actually shows more mature pride. It means you respect the other's pride."
The courage to respect the other's pride...
He mulled it over briefly.
Then Shin Tae-yeop asked Seo Hwa-yoon,
"Where's that idiot Do Ye-jin right now?"
"Training in an hour, so probably at the training ground? She always shows up an hour early."
"Thanks, Sis."
Shin Tae-yeop bowed to her and dashed out.
About 30 seconds later?
"Gone?"
"Yeah."
"Gone."
Chuckles rippled through the artisans.
"Youth, huh. Such sweet youth."
"Hope those two work out."
"Real talk."
Someone flashed Seo Hwa-yoon a thumbs-up with a grin. It was Ryu Hyeon-ji, disguised as an artisan.
12.
Do Ye-jin was whacking a straw doll with a spear.
Focus, focus, focus, focus.
She'd occasionally freeze and sigh deeply, as if the ground might cave in.
"Do Ye-jin."
So when Shin Tae-yeop called her, she jolted back in surprise.
"Sh-Sh-Shin Tae-yeop?"
"Hey... am I some kinda heteromorph? What's with that look."
It was their usual banter, but the vibe was painfully awkward.
That was the moment.
Do Ye-jin hastily aimed the spear from the armory his way.
"Wait. Stop right there."
"...?"
"Anyway... just stop when I say stop! I-I'm gonna shoot!"
He couldn't exactly say she stank of sweat.
An awkward silence settled in.
They'd been avoiding eye contact the whole time. What broke the tension was...
"Shirak?"
Shiak, who had been dozing on Shin Tae-yeop's head.
"What... is that?"
Its clumsy, cute wing flaps.
"N-No... Shiak, stop! Do Ye-jin is... Do Ye-jin she..."
Shiak hopped straight to Do Ye-jin's shoulder and licked the cold sweat off her cheek.
"Whoa... that feels super refreshing."
"What the heck is it?"
"Huh?"
"You're super strong in Abyss affinity... but no problem?"
Ice dragons are super sensitive to the Abyss. They discolor on contact...
"That's 'cause my heart's pure as can be, unlike some──"
Do Ye-jin lifted her head with her trademark cocky grin.
Their eyes met.
The boy and girl both looked away at almost the same time.
"...."
"...."
".........!"
".........?!"
"............!"
".................!"
A symphony of silence, each expecting the other to speak first, then hesitating when they almost did.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself.
Shin Tae-yeop was the first to look up and meet her eyes straight on.
"Hey."
"...?"
"Sorry. Yesterday... I wasn't very mature. I'm three years older than you."
Had saying something ever been this hard?
"N-No! That was my fault──"
Why was her face burning like this.
"──Anyway, I apologized!"
Shin Tae-yeop whipped around and left, and Shiak hopped back from Do Ye-jin's shoulder.
"Don't bring it up anymore! Act cocky like old times when we meet."
Only after Shin Tae-yeop was completely gone did the girl's voice echo softly through the training ground.
"............Yeah."
13.
"I've done everything you wanted. Satisfied?"
"ShirakShirak."
"Exactly! Alright, let's start with the basics."
What Shin Tae-yeop held up was a pillow. "Shi?" Shiak tilted its head.
"Oh... you don't know. This is called a pillow."
Shin Tae-yeop punched the pillow, and it squished back softly before bouncing forward again.
"Modern Koreans often used 'em as punching bags."
"ShiShiShiShi!"
"Super impressive? Wondering what I really was?"
"Shirak!"
Heh, Shin Tae-yeop replied nonchalantly.
"Me? Just your average South Korean high school boy."
"ShiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIkkkkkkkkK!"
"A South Korean high school boy... must've been some elite job from an amazing country?"
"ShiShishihihihihi."
Amid the torrent of praise, Shin Tae-yeop scratched his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, maybe..."
We were criminals just for being students.
Locked in the prison called school.
Confined to the cell called classroom.
On the inmate roster called the attendance sheet.
Wearing the prison uniform called school clothes.
Serving time with the punishment called studying.
Awaiting release called graduation.
"Man, those were tough days... but fun too..."
As Shin Tae-yeop spoke wistfully of his distant homeland, Shiak licked his tears.
"Alright, enough stories! Time to train!"
"Shiraaaakk!"
"Awesome! Channel that energy—first technique, body slam training!"
Shin Tae-yeop raised the pillow toward Shiak and shouted.
Did it get it right away?!
The soul fragment of the Last Dragon, Skesari, charged at the pillow with ferocious momentum!
This thing's no joke.
Startled by the intensity, Shin Tae-yeop ducked behind the pillow for a second.
──Pud.
Pud?
Shin Tae-yeop peeked over the pillow...
"Sh-Shiakaaaaaaaaa!"
...and saw frost covering its neck, with cracks forming on Shiak.
It was the moment the dragon of another world fell to a South Korean pillow.
[Threat Permitting 6th Unit Production]
=> Threat of racial value extinction.
3. The 6th unit is a separate lifeform from the main body but inherits some memories and abilities.
4. 6th unit production is divided into 3 stages total.
[Protection and Management Period]
- Stage 1: 36 days
- Stage 2: 14 days
- Stage 3: Unnecessary
Stage application depends on the main body's condition.
If the main body is in perfect condition, Stage 3; if precarious, Stage 1.